By Ryan Chiwara- Masvingo province registered voters have joined others parts in objecting to Thokozani Khupe party list candidates seeking to replace Movement for Democratic Change Alliance recalled parliamentarians.
The MDC Alliance legislators were recalled by the MDC T led by hope following a supreme court ruling in which imposed Khupe as the acting president of MDC T.
The MDC T has since released a list of individuals they want to replace those whom they have recalled. On the list Khupe is to replace former MDC Alliance legislator Tabitha Khumalo in Bulawayo province.
Masvingo MDC Alliance legislator Muchirairwa Mugido was recalled from parliament by Khupe for siding with MDC Alliance president Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba has invited voters with objections to lodge them with her office before the nominations are confirmed.
“The public is hereby notified, in terms of section 39 (6) of the Electoral Act (Chapter2:13) that the MDC party has nominated party list members of the National Assembly and the Senate listed in the schedules below to fill in the vacancies in the National Assembly and the Senate that occurred following the recall by the MDC-T of the incumbent on the grounds that they had ceased to be members of that party,” reads the notice published by Chigumba.
One of the party list objection affidavits seen by this writer stated the grounds for objections
, “Section 45E of the electoral Act is explicit on the requirements for the identity of the party nominating the party list candidates, specifically, the Name, Party Abbreviation and Distinctive Symbols which should appear on the ballot paper. Accordingly, in the July 2018 Harmonised elections the MDC-A submitted its party list using the name Movement for Democratic Change Alliance, abbreviated as MDC-A and the characteristic distinctive symbol of an open palm and the face Adv Nelson Chamisa inside it.
“It is in this respect that the MDC -A has exclusive right to nominate replacements for the candidates to the party list , and that no any other party has the locus standi to make any such replacements outside the purview of the 2018 Harmonized Elections requirements as stated in section 45 of the Electoral Act.
“At the July 2018 Harmonised elections I voted for the MDC-A constituency candidate and my vote contributed to the cumulative provincial total votes which formed the basis for the allocation of the proportional representation or senate seats as specified in the Eighth schedule of the electoral Act.
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has a duty to respect the outcome of the prescribed formula in the Eighth schedule of the electoral act by allocating the MDC-A its right full seats and not allow any other political entity to usurp the party ‘s right to choose its representatives.
“Failure to abide by its duty is an infringement of my Right of Assembly and Association as spelt out in Section 58 of the constitution,” read the affidavit.